In matters related to the Shift, sensationalism still rules the mainstream media. It was quite interesting to see how much publicity was given over to Harold Camping’s May 21 apocalypse prediction while, at the same, the nuanced and thematically complex messages concerning the Mayan calendar are largely glossed over. A case in point was an editorial appearing in the Boston Globe about Camping’s prediction. Here’s what the Globe editorial, written on May 20, said in part: “And if tomorrow proves anticlimactic for Camping’s followers, well, there are other opportunities: The Mayan doomsday arrives, by some calculations, in December of next year." The phrase “Mayan doomsday” of course is inaccurate and misleading. We felt it necessary to send a letter to the Globe in reference to the editorial as follows:
We would like to correct an error appearing in the editorial in last Friday’s Globe referencing a “Mayan doomsday” event. We represent a nonprofit group working in the Boston area and engaged in ongoing research on Mayan culture and history. The idea that the Mayan Calendar predicts some sort of doomsday on December 21, 2012 is a common notion but quite incorrect according to sources within contemporary Mayan culture as well as well-respected scholars who have done significant research on the topic such as John Major Jenkins and Carl Calleman.
Contemporary Mayan interpreters such as Ac Tah (who we recently hosted in Boston) and the Mayan Council of Elders believe, as do many environmental scientists, that our current planetary way of life is unsustainable and threatens to create severe disruptions in an ecosystem that we have unfortunately come to take for granted. They do not believe that it's a foregone conclusion that there will be an event or series of events causing apocalyptic destruction of our planet. Rather they point out that, as a result of becoming out of balance with natural cycles and resources, we find ourselves in a time of crisis and great change requiring an intelligent and coordinated response.
This rather simple empirical observation is borne out by any number of research studies arriving at the same conclusion by scientific means. For example, the work of Lester Brown’s Earthwatch Institute as featured in the movie “Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization” draws very similar conclusions. (Brown’s work was recently highlighted in a PBS special.) We sincerely hope that the Boston Globe will help its readers understand the gravity of our current ecological crisis and the need to seek and find permanent and lasting solutions to it.
The Globe published the letter and an edited version can be seen here. We also were happy to receive a supportive email from Mayan scholar John Major Jenkins noting: “That was a clear and cogent correction…Unfortunately, the avalanche of media misinformation is increasing unabated [making it] virtually impossible to present and rationally discuss the recent breakthroughs in understanding what the ancient Maya believed about 2012.”
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Mayan Ninth Wave: The Japan Disaster and Coming Earth Changes
So here we are in the Ninth Wave. The acceleration is palpable. Many shift-sensitives are reporting that they feel these energies affecting them deeply at both physical and/or cognitive levels. I like the metaphor that Barbara Hand Clow uses -- that of feeling like you're in a linear particle accelerator going at full tilt. It's a very apt description.
These effects aren't surprising as these energetic and electromagnetic changes are quite powerful. While they put human civilization's fragilities in perspective because of their scope and scale, all living things in what the Elizabethans used to call the Great Chain of Being are also affected. This includes my little daschund Maggie who for the last few weeks has been acting quite strangely on certain days. She knows something's up.
The disaster in Japan has made the earth changes discussed for so long more dramatically "real" -- even for those of us who have been studying and talking about the cycles of world ages for a long time. But talking about the changes is one thing. Seeing them unfold is quite another.
Some have commented on the eerie feeling of recognition that ensued after seeing scenes of destruction in Japan and then summoning up from memory scenes from the movie 2012. The terrible toll of human suffering which requires our deep compassion and action is, to say the least, a deep shock.
So is seeing what we thought were well-designed technology systems shatter in a relative instant. In my opinion, one of our deeply embedded beliefs i.e. the Western illusion of indomitable technological control and mastery has now been shattered. And hopefully the quasi-Promethean attraction to technologies we don't fully understand will now start to be reexamined. Germany, a technological leader among nations, has already decided to phase out nuclear power in the next decade or so and there is massive public support for doing so. Like it or not, Japan is about learning deep collective karmic lessons.
The Japan disaster seems also to have established a tipping point away from widespread denial and towards an awakening that something huge and important is happening on a planetary scale. The mainstream media, for example, may be starting to connect the dots and tune in to the importance of multiple earth changes that are all connected. A recent Newsweek cover story, for example, was "Apocalypse Now" citing the Japan quake and other events. In that same issue, editor-in-chief Tina Brown, asks: "Is the world going crazy?" By contrast, the New York Times (the "paper of record") was still positioning the Japan quake as a "once-in-a-lifetime event."
Mayan wisdom-keepers like Ac Tah tell us that these changes will continue to accelerate. Staying calm and centered is essential. But somehow we have to figure how to hold the amazing promise of this time together in our minds with the devastating events we're witnessing. It's a tall order. It's all part of what "mindful preparation for the Shift" is all about and what the Emergence Project hopes to assist with during this amazing but thoroughly challenging journey through the Ninth Wave.
These effects aren't surprising as these energetic and electromagnetic changes are quite powerful. While they put human civilization's fragilities in perspective because of their scope and scale, all living things in what the Elizabethans used to call the Great Chain of Being are also affected. This includes my little daschund Maggie who for the last few weeks has been acting quite strangely on certain days. She knows something's up.
The disaster in Japan has made the earth changes discussed for so long more dramatically "real" -- even for those of us who have been studying and talking about the cycles of world ages for a long time. But talking about the changes is one thing. Seeing them unfold is quite another.
Some have commented on the eerie feeling of recognition that ensued after seeing scenes of destruction in Japan and then summoning up from memory scenes from the movie 2012. The terrible toll of human suffering which requires our deep compassion and action is, to say the least, a deep shock.
So is seeing what we thought were well-designed technology systems shatter in a relative instant. In my opinion, one of our deeply embedded beliefs i.e. the Western illusion of indomitable technological control and mastery has now been shattered. And hopefully the quasi-Promethean attraction to technologies we don't fully understand will now start to be reexamined. Germany, a technological leader among nations, has already decided to phase out nuclear power in the next decade or so and there is massive public support for doing so. Like it or not, Japan is about learning deep collective karmic lessons.
The Japan disaster seems also to have established a tipping point away from widespread denial and towards an awakening that something huge and important is happening on a planetary scale. The mainstream media, for example, may be starting to connect the dots and tune in to the importance of multiple earth changes that are all connected. A recent Newsweek cover story, for example, was "Apocalypse Now" citing the Japan quake and other events. In that same issue, editor-in-chief Tina Brown, asks: "Is the world going crazy?" By contrast, the New York Times (the "paper of record") was still positioning the Japan quake as a "once-in-a-lifetime event."
Mayan wisdom-keepers like Ac Tah tell us that these changes will continue to accelerate. Staying calm and centered is essential. But somehow we have to figure how to hold the amazing promise of this time together in our minds with the devastating events we're witnessing. It's a tall order. It's all part of what "mindful preparation for the Shift" is all about and what the Emergence Project hopes to assist with during this amazing but thoroughly challenging journey through the Ninth Wave.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Towards a Transformation Movement Agenda
In the course of our work, we think a lot about the Great Work: what needs to be done as the Shift intensifies as we head into the Ninth Wave, the final aspect of transformation. (Fasten your seat belts as they say.) Those of us involved in the transformation movement in some way, shape, or form can contribute in many different ways. We might even call these "roles". In thinking this through a little more, the beginnings of a kind of "transformation agenda" can be seen taking shape. We'd like to share it with you and get your feedback and opinions.
*Work on Oneself. Everything starts and ends here. As Paramahansa Yogananda has said, change yourself and you will change 1000 people. Sacred activism begins with intent and alignment with our highest purpose for the good of humanity during this time of radical transformation.
*The Work of Imaginative Restructuring. If we’re going to build what Eckhart Tolle calls a “New Earth”, we need to first imagine its contours, directions, and substance. Not abstractly but concretely. If the veil between thought and action is thinning, then the work of the imagination becomes all the more important and not just the province of poets but "activists". What kind of world would you like to build today?
*Compassionate Aid. It’s a bit troubling to still find discussions of the Ascension that imply and reinforce the dualistic notion of the elect and saved and those who “will not make it”. Inclusiveness is the antidote to dualism. Amid high-flying discussions of multidimensional transformation, a kind of almost Buddhist grounding needs to take place so that basic compassion is continually extended to those whose lives are severely disrupted by the Shift and radical earth changes (e.g. Haiti and the recent earthquake in Japan.)
*Transitioning to Sacred Space. This is the amazing and beautiful work that many lightworkers are doing to hold the vibration of planetary energy grids as described by Mayan interpreters such as Drunvalo Melchizedek and Mayan teachers such as Ac Tah. (There are volumes that could be said about this but I am not the right person to do it.)
*Being a Wayshower. All of us are at different places in our spiritual journey. To the extent we can help others better understand the daunting complexity of the Shift in big and small ways, we're helping transformation to take place. As Daniel Pinchbeck has said, this isn't a time to withdraw from the world and savor spiritual solitude. There's simply too much to be done.
Dimensional and Syncretistic Translation. Pick up a copy of Barbara Hand Clow’s amazing book The Alchemy of Nine Dimensions and you'll see a fascinating breakdown of cosmic and metaphysical reality in terms of nine dimensions. Pick up a book on Taoist philosophy and you’ll see something that appears to be very different. But is the content really very similar? Yes! Imagine that content as being expressed by different languages: talking about the very same thing but understood only when both are decoded and fully translated. This too is a special kind of work that also needs to be done and an aspect of what we do at The Emergence Project.
Those are just a few thoughts that I wanted to put out there. Please feel free to mention others. Thank you.
*Work on Oneself. Everything starts and ends here. As Paramahansa Yogananda has said, change yourself and you will change 1000 people. Sacred activism begins with intent and alignment with our highest purpose for the good of humanity during this time of radical transformation.
*The Work of Imaginative Restructuring. If we’re going to build what Eckhart Tolle calls a “New Earth”, we need to first imagine its contours, directions, and substance. Not abstractly but concretely. If the veil between thought and action is thinning, then the work of the imagination becomes all the more important and not just the province of poets but "activists". What kind of world would you like to build today?
*Compassionate Aid. It’s a bit troubling to still find discussions of the Ascension that imply and reinforce the dualistic notion of the elect and saved and those who “will not make it”. Inclusiveness is the antidote to dualism. Amid high-flying discussions of multidimensional transformation, a kind of almost Buddhist grounding needs to take place so that basic compassion is continually extended to those whose lives are severely disrupted by the Shift and radical earth changes (e.g. Haiti and the recent earthquake in Japan.)
*Transitioning to Sacred Space. This is the amazing and beautiful work that many lightworkers are doing to hold the vibration of planetary energy grids as described by Mayan interpreters such as Drunvalo Melchizedek and Mayan teachers such as Ac Tah. (There are volumes that could be said about this but I am not the right person to do it.)
*Being a Wayshower. All of us are at different places in our spiritual journey. To the extent we can help others better understand the daunting complexity of the Shift in big and small ways, we're helping transformation to take place. As Daniel Pinchbeck has said, this isn't a time to withdraw from the world and savor spiritual solitude. There's simply too much to be done.
Dimensional and Syncretistic Translation. Pick up a copy of Barbara Hand Clow’s amazing book The Alchemy of Nine Dimensions and you'll see a fascinating breakdown of cosmic and metaphysical reality in terms of nine dimensions. Pick up a book on Taoist philosophy and you’ll see something that appears to be very different. But is the content really very similar? Yes! Imagine that content as being expressed by different languages: talking about the very same thing but understood only when both are decoded and fully translated. This too is a special kind of work that also needs to be done and an aspect of what we do at The Emergence Project.
Those are just a few thoughts that I wanted to put out there. Please feel free to mention others. Thank you.
Friday, February 18, 2011
2012 and the Internet: The Evolution of Mind
In my last blog I talked about how what a challenging time this is for all of us with the acceleration of change now upon us. But the workings of cosmic divine order is a complex and mysterious process. I believe that amid extraordinary climate change, widespread economic turmoil,and possible food shortages along with other disruptions of the Shift, we’ve been given compensating gifts to deal with the inevitable chaos of the Shift.
The spiritual advice that this conjures up for me is “Where spirit guides, spirit provides”. Humanity has been guided towards this inflection point in the grand arc of history. This is a process governed by natural law and the evolutionary emergence of the Cosmos. We feel like we’re “in the soup” – deep in a torrent of change that we have no control over. But at the same time, we’ve been given gifts to deal with this mind blowing complexity and staggering sense of time acceleration.
Some of these gifts are what I’ll call internal and some of them external even though it’s a somewhat arbitrary distinction. The internal ones relate to changes in our human capabilities already taking place, not only in consciousness but in our physical bodies. Lightworkers such as Lisa Renee and Lauren Gorgo have provided rather amazing descriptions of multidimensional DNA transformation and the repatterning of the planetary energy grid. Other commentators have noted some unusual capabilities observed in children being born over the last 20 years or so.
Another more “external” gift is the power of technology which is being radically accelerated by the use of the computer. Technology itself is a double edged sword of course as are most tools. It can be used for beneficent or less than enlightened purposes. It’s our cultural inability to bypass technologies that are in the latter category that causes problems and the unthinking assumption that all technology applications must be good and useful. As a side note, it also seems clear from the work of Mayan interpreters Jose Arguelles (“Time and the Technosphere”) and Carl Calleman that technology is playing a major role in the acceleration process that we associate with the Shift.
Among gifts technological is of course the Internet which as I wrote about in Digital Mythologies is a powerful change agent in the evolution of mind. To name just a few of its effects, the Internet is allowing communities of interest to form that would not otherwise be possible and its role in the Egyptian revolution is obvious. The gathering of indigenous elders worldwide to come forth and share their ancient wisdom as it relates to the Shift (as is happening with Ac Tah’s work) would not be possible without this gift. So when things seem particularly bleak in terms of the unfolding of disruptive world events, I like to try to think a bit the about how these capabilities and others are available to us. There are many if we take the time look for them. What are some the the gifts you have seen in your journey?
The spiritual advice that this conjures up for me is “Where spirit guides, spirit provides”. Humanity has been guided towards this inflection point in the grand arc of history. This is a process governed by natural law and the evolutionary emergence of the Cosmos. We feel like we’re “in the soup” – deep in a torrent of change that we have no control over. But at the same time, we’ve been given gifts to deal with this mind blowing complexity and staggering sense of time acceleration.
Some of these gifts are what I’ll call internal and some of them external even though it’s a somewhat arbitrary distinction. The internal ones relate to changes in our human capabilities already taking place, not only in consciousness but in our physical bodies. Lightworkers such as Lisa Renee and Lauren Gorgo have provided rather amazing descriptions of multidimensional DNA transformation and the repatterning of the planetary energy grid. Other commentators have noted some unusual capabilities observed in children being born over the last 20 years or so.
Another more “external” gift is the power of technology which is being radically accelerated by the use of the computer. Technology itself is a double edged sword of course as are most tools. It can be used for beneficent or less than enlightened purposes. It’s our cultural inability to bypass technologies that are in the latter category that causes problems and the unthinking assumption that all technology applications must be good and useful. As a side note, it also seems clear from the work of Mayan interpreters Jose Arguelles (“Time and the Technosphere”) and Carl Calleman that technology is playing a major role in the acceleration process that we associate with the Shift.
Among gifts technological is of course the Internet which as I wrote about in Digital Mythologies is a powerful change agent in the evolution of mind. To name just a few of its effects, the Internet is allowing communities of interest to form that would not otherwise be possible and its role in the Egyptian revolution is obvious. The gathering of indigenous elders worldwide to come forth and share their ancient wisdom as it relates to the Shift (as is happening with Ac Tah’s work) would not be possible without this gift. So when things seem particularly bleak in terms of the unfolding of disruptive world events, I like to try to think a bit the about how these capabilities and others are available to us. There are many if we take the time look for them. What are some the the gifts you have seen in your journey?
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Challenges of the Shift: Gifts Have Been Given
2010 gave us a glimpse of what earth changes may have in store. New York, Moscow and much of Europe were paralyzed by winter storms. Australia was ravaged by unprecedented flooding, covering an area the size of France and Germany combined. As reported by Brad Johnson: "2010 is entering the history books as the hottest year on record." I’m still sorting through where bird and fish kills might fit into the picture but at least one credible source has suggested that the bird kills might be related to a pole shift.
Many are becoming more aware of these earth changes and seeing the patterns despite the mainstream media downplaying their significance. The trouble is that there can be a “180 degrees in the other direction” effect where the realization is a relatively sudden one. Then it becomes very easy to go into fear and panic. In this context, those who see 2012 strictly in apocalyptic terms will likely become all the more entrenched in their thinking. On the other hand, Mayan teacher Ac Tah has suggested that for many who have been in denial, acknowledging the reality of these events might be an important first step towards awakening.
With the accelerated intensity of events ratcheting up and not likely to diminish, keeping a balanced perspective can be a challenge. It is important to acknowledge the enormity of earth changes without obsessively dwelling on them. There’s a Chinese proverb that applies: “That the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change. But that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.” At the same time, it’s important to be compassionately attuned to the human suffering that earth changes inflict, do what we can to help those affected, and at the same time recognize the positive opportunity for growth and awakening that we are being gifted with.
I don’t know if this is Emerson’s law of compensation in action or not but I do believe that as dire as circumstances might seem at times, we as individuals are given compensatory gifts to deal with these challenges. The aphorism “where spirit guides, spirit provides” has a lot of resonance in this context. But I’d like to suggest that this applies to humanity in the aggregate as well as to our own individual journeys. In the next blog, I’ll talk a little more about what these gifts might be.
Many are becoming more aware of these earth changes and seeing the patterns despite the mainstream media downplaying their significance. The trouble is that there can be a “180 degrees in the other direction” effect where the realization is a relatively sudden one. Then it becomes very easy to go into fear and panic. In this context, those who see 2012 strictly in apocalyptic terms will likely become all the more entrenched in their thinking. On the other hand, Mayan teacher Ac Tah has suggested that for many who have been in denial, acknowledging the reality of these events might be an important first step towards awakening.
With the accelerated intensity of events ratcheting up and not likely to diminish, keeping a balanced perspective can be a challenge. It is important to acknowledge the enormity of earth changes without obsessively dwelling on them. There’s a Chinese proverb that applies: “That the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change. But that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.” At the same time, it’s important to be compassionately attuned to the human suffering that earth changes inflict, do what we can to help those affected, and at the same time recognize the positive opportunity for growth and awakening that we are being gifted with.
I don’t know if this is Emerson’s law of compensation in action or not but I do believe that as dire as circumstances might seem at times, we as individuals are given compensatory gifts to deal with these challenges. The aphorism “where spirit guides, spirit provides” has a lot of resonance in this context. But I’d like to suggest that this applies to humanity in the aggregate as well as to our own individual journeys. In the next blog, I’ll talk a little more about what these gifts might be.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Ac Tah's Mayan "Messages of Light"
Back in August, we were contacted by James and Mai Needham who live in Mexico and work with a Mayan spiritual teacher, wisdom keeper and direct descendant Maya, Ac Tah. He has been traveling throughout Mexico -- literally walking from village to village -- to share the indigenous wisdom from his ancestors and create community in preparation for the Great Awakening now underway.
We had a number of enjoyable in-depth several conversations with James and Mai and they forwarded a copy of Ac Tah's book The Night of the Last Katun. It's a modestly produced book but full of insights and deep spiritual wisdom. We found ourselves inspired and moved by the authenticity, generosity, and expansiveness of Ac Tah's "messages of light", the revisiting of the ancient wisdom of the Mayan people for this time. Because this resonated with our own spiritual explorations on the nature and meaning of this amazing phenomenon we call Shift, we're now working with James and Mai to help bring Ac Tah's message to a wider global audience.
The return of the ancient wisdom is one of the most important aspects of the Shift. Mayan elders such as Carlos Barrios and Hunbatz Men have stepped forth to share their wisdom but Ac Tah is the first Mayan messenger we are aware of to bring forth this wisdom directly to audiences in the US with a speaking tour. The inclusiveness of this message is very appealing and heartening. Ac Tah intends to do a 13 city US tour in early 2011 and we're honored to be a part of that effort. In his book Ac Tah begins to reveal the secrets of his Mayan wisdom with a gentle but clear sense of urgency often missing in some discussions about the Shift. Most importantly, he talks about how, using encoded Maya technology, we can activate our DNA and rise to a higher frequency in the process of awakening.
On December 7, we were honored to offer a special teleconference with Ac Tah called "The Sun: The Change of Consciousness and the Wisdom of the Maya" In it, Ac Tah shared his insights and wisdom. He talked about earth changes, noting that the center of the earth has been changing and the sun has started behaving in a different way specially over the last 20 years. He talked about changes in the magnetic field that protects us from the solar wind. He described the essence of the augmenting role of the pyramids in changing harmonic frequencies and the rebuilding effort now underway in Mexico. Finally he urged staying in alignment with higher human values and joy. He said our state of being is more important than knowledge but cautioned that "we need both the wisdom of ancestors and modern intelligence."
We had a number of enjoyable in-depth several conversations with James and Mai and they forwarded a copy of Ac Tah's book The Night of the Last Katun. It's a modestly produced book but full of insights and deep spiritual wisdom. We found ourselves inspired and moved by the authenticity, generosity, and expansiveness of Ac Tah's "messages of light", the revisiting of the ancient wisdom of the Mayan people for this time. Because this resonated with our own spiritual explorations on the nature and meaning of this amazing phenomenon we call Shift, we're now working with James and Mai to help bring Ac Tah's message to a wider global audience.
The return of the ancient wisdom is one of the most important aspects of the Shift. Mayan elders such as Carlos Barrios and Hunbatz Men have stepped forth to share their wisdom but Ac Tah is the first Mayan messenger we are aware of to bring forth this wisdom directly to audiences in the US with a speaking tour. The inclusiveness of this message is very appealing and heartening. Ac Tah intends to do a 13 city US tour in early 2011 and we're honored to be a part of that effort. In his book Ac Tah begins to reveal the secrets of his Mayan wisdom with a gentle but clear sense of urgency often missing in some discussions about the Shift. Most importantly, he talks about how, using encoded Maya technology, we can activate our DNA and rise to a higher frequency in the process of awakening.
On December 7, we were honored to offer a special teleconference with Ac Tah called "The Sun: The Change of Consciousness and the Wisdom of the Maya" In it, Ac Tah shared his insights and wisdom. He talked about earth changes, noting that the center of the earth has been changing and the sun has started behaving in a different way specially over the last 20 years. He talked about changes in the magnetic field that protects us from the solar wind. He described the essence of the augmenting role of the pyramids in changing harmonic frequencies and the rebuilding effort now underway in Mexico. Finally he urged staying in alignment with higher human values and joy. He said our state of being is more important than knowledge but cautioned that "we need both the wisdom of ancestors and modern intelligence."
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Another Argument for Syncretism
During the Shift, syncretism – the idea of appreciating the value of and commonality between many different spiritual traditions -- will become increasingly important especially as it relates to the idea of moving away from dualistic thinking. But sometimes syncretism is seen as a kind of spiritual mush, a feel-good amalgam of different spiritual traditions that radiates the idea that “it’s all good” but fails to make useful distinctions. Also sometimes we see critiques of its close cousin, so-called “cafeteria spirituality” which some see as either a kind of indulgence, a symptom of the inability to commit, or a kind of butterfly-hopping faddism.
But where can true syncretism take us? We’ve done a lot of work on this topic at the Emergence Project and Annette and I have studied and experimented with many different spiritual paths. One of my litmus tests for a worthy spiritual teacher has always been the degree to which they were willing to acknowledge the importance of other paths. The first guru I was associated with, Sri Chinmoy, had a strong message of syncretism and stressed the importance of honoring different paths. Paramahansa Yogananda is another great teacher falling into this category.
My own path started out with a practice involving Sri Chinmoy and Swami Rudrananda, the path of devotion and surrender and heart-practice. In a different phase of life, I began to study Buddhism through the work of the Tibetan master Chogyam Trungpa. Then as I began to take up the body-centered practice of Tai Chi, the focus shifted to Taoism. Today all three of these still remain very important aspects of my spiritual path. I think of them as three pillars in support of the unification of body (Taoism) heart (the Vedic tradition) and mind (Buddhism). I feel my spiritual practice would be greatly diminished if any one of them were not present.
But where can true syncretism take us? We’ve done a lot of work on this topic at the Emergence Project and Annette and I have studied and experimented with many different spiritual paths. One of my litmus tests for a worthy spiritual teacher has always been the degree to which they were willing to acknowledge the importance of other paths. The first guru I was associated with, Sri Chinmoy, had a strong message of syncretism and stressed the importance of honoring different paths. Paramahansa Yogananda is another great teacher falling into this category.
My own path started out with a practice involving Sri Chinmoy and Swami Rudrananda, the path of devotion and surrender and heart-practice. In a different phase of life, I began to study Buddhism through the work of the Tibetan master Chogyam Trungpa. Then as I began to take up the body-centered practice of Tai Chi, the focus shifted to Taoism. Today all three of these still remain very important aspects of my spiritual path. I think of them as three pillars in support of the unification of body (Taoism) heart (the Vedic tradition) and mind (Buddhism). I feel my spiritual practice would be greatly diminished if any one of them were not present.
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